Process of binding the active material of positive-pole lead electrodes.



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i '0 all wkomz't may conccmg' 1 Be it known that 'I,"VVIL ITIAM MORRISON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes ot Binding the Active Material of Positive-Pole Lead, Electrodes, of which the following is aspecificat ion.

This invention relates to the production of a permanent and insoluble "binder for the active material of the positive-pole electrodes of lead storage batteries. This binder fundamentally comprises an oxygen compound of a metal incapable of directly replacing hydrogen in a sulfuric acid solution; insoluble by anodic oxidation in a sulfuric acid solution; incapable of cathodic reduction to metal, or of electrolytic sep aration as'metal, in a sulfuricacid solu- Lion; and capable of forming complex anions with electronegative elements, which can constitute the acidic radical of compounds having lead as a base. The three known metals which have these characteristics are tungsten, tantalum and niobium, otherwise called columbium.

To illustrate the invention, there will be described a process of producing a leadperoxid electrode employing a compound'of tungsten as the binder. F or this purpose,

a metallic support, for example a grid of antimonial lead, is pasted or filled with the usual mixture of minium, litharge and a sulfuric acid solution, in which mixture lead sulfate forms as a provisional binder. Complete formation, or peroxidation, of the active material is then preferably initially effected by placing the pasted grids, alternately with unfilled grids serving as dummy electrodes of the opposite polarity, in a sulfuric acid solution having a specific gravity 0151.200 to 1.250, and passing an electric current through the solution, alternately in opposite directions, until the paste has been sufliciently expanded, care being taken not to force the discharge beyond the normal intended-capacity of the electrodes. The active material is nowimpregnated with the binder by either of the following methods: (1.) The electrode is dipped in a strong aqueous solution of sodium tungstate; is removed and is preferably dried or partially dried; is placed in a'cell containing water, to which may be added a small amount of caustic soda, and an elec- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed 'February23; 1912. S er ia1 1 l0. .67 9,301.

"Patented A r. 2, i912.

trio current is passed from the electrode through the Water to a suitable cathode until all of the tungsten compound held in the active material is decomposed and .the binder of an nsoluble lead-tungsten-oxygen compound is t'ormed. (2.) The electrode is dipped in a strong aqueous solution of sodium tungstate; is removed and preferably dried or partially dried; and .is dipped in an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid containing a reagent capable, in this solution, of reducing lead peroXid and thereby causing the production of lead sulfate, preferably hydrogen peroxid, thereby impregnating the active material with a binder of a lead tungsten sulfur oxygen compound. (8.) The electrode is dipped in a strong aqueous solution of sodium tungstate; is removed and preferably dried or partially dried; is dipped in an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxid; and is removed and dipped in an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid, thereby precipitating the lead-tungsten-sulfur,oxygen binder compound.

'Either' of the above methods may be re peated, to impregnate the active material with an additional amount of abin'der.

, Each of the three methods described is applicable to the production of a binder compound containing tantalum or niobium instead oftungsten, by substituting a tantalic or niobic solution, preferably potassium hexatantalate or niobate, for the sodium tungstate solution.

I claim: r

1. The process of binding the active material of positive-pole lead electrodes, which consists in saturating the material with a solution of a compound having in its acidic radical a metal incapable ofdirectly replacing hydrogen in a sulfuricv'acid solution; insoluble by anodic oxidation in a sulfuric acid solution; incapable ofcathodic' reduction to metal, or of electrolytic separation as metal, in a sulfuric acid solution; and capable of forming complex anions with electro-negativeelements, which can constitute the acidic radical of compounds having lead as abase, and then reacting on said compound topr'ecipitate in said active material a binder consisting of a leadtungsten-oxygen compound.

2. The process of bindin'gt-he active material of positive-pole lead electrodes, which consists in saturating the material with a solution of a compound having in its acidic Q c I 1,021,994

adical a metal incapable of directly replacacting on said compound to precipitate in mg hydrogen in a sulfuric acid solution; insaid active material a binder consisting of a v soluble by anodic oxidation in a sulfuric lead-tungsten-oxygen compound.

acid solution inc%pable of cathodic reduc- 1 In testimony whereof I afiiiz my signa- 5 tion to metal, or o electrolytic separation as ture in presence of two witnesses.

metal, in a sulfuric acid solution; and capa- P WILLIAM MORRISON ble of forming complex anions With electro-negative elements, which can constitute Witnesses! the acidic radical of compounds having lead EUGENE A. BYRNES, 1' as a base,- and then electrochemically re-' N. P. LEONARD. 

